Punt Return

We use only one punt return. In our punt return we have 5 guys on the LOS and a guy over each bullet. We then have 2 LB's and 2 guys returning the kick.

On the snap of the ball all 5 linemen fire out into the opposing linemen. The end guy on each side rushes the punt and forces the kick. The interior 3 fire out and either go left or right depending on the call to set up a wall. The LB's also watch for fakes and try to clog up the guys running straight downfield. The 2 corners obviously try to harrass the bullets.

Then when the kick gets back to the deep men the guy who will not catch the kick will tell the other guy to fair catch the ball if he needs to. If he doesnt tell him to fair catch he will lead the runner through the wall.

We set the wall 5-8 yards from the sideline and set the wall men 3-5 yards apart.

I am not going to say our return is the best return possible. Where we have problems is when the other team kicks the ball away from our wall, then the return is pretty much useless. None the less the return works for us and we take a few kicks back now and then.

1. Yes on the return the linebackers block the most dangerous threat. The returner who doesnt catch the ball leads the runner around the wall and blocks the most dangerous man. The guys in the wall block whoever comes.

2. In our punt block we send the 7 guys we have in the box. The linebackers will take gaps that the linemen arent in. We will try to get 3 guys in the A gaps. It isnt an overloaded punt block and we dont actually have one of those.

3. We work the return for 10 minutes on Monday through Thursday. So we work on it for a total of 40 minutes a week. We have run the same return for years so by the time the kids get to varsity they have been running it for at least 2 seasons so it doesnt require a ton of practice time for us.

Coach:

We call it the Jesse James return from a pressure look. If you only have two schemes, I do not believe that you have loaded you gun appropriately. However, from a pressure look, you can bring heat anywhere along the LOS, which is the only effective way a hold up scheme works. It is very difficult to use a hold up scheme from a "safe" alignment.

Coach Campbell and I included four different schemes from the pressure look which do not take long to install. One uses a punch, wheel and shadow technique, and the other a punch, release and wall technique.

Be careful about the time you are willing to invest - pressure or return have a tremendous impact on field position. If field position is important to your program philosophy then you must spend more time in the punt and punt return area because these occur most often on game night. Whether it is shanked punt, blocked punt or great return, your offense is going to be in a better position to score.

Coach Lyle

We pressure EVERY punt.

We have come to the belief that most H.S. punters are just too erratic in their punt placement and distance to justify the time investment in teaching a return.

We believe that it is a big psychological advantage to us that our opponent's punter knows he is going to get 8 man pressure every time he punts.

We only block an average of 2 punts a season but that is the icing on the cake. We get a tremendous number of shanks and hurried punts. I would guess that we probably take an average of 8 to 10 yards off the punter's average in our games with this philosophy. That equals the first 1st down of our new offensive series.

Also because of this philosophy, punt teams tend to max protect thus giving them poorer coverage.

Our last thought is that this scheme allows us to be in great position on the 2 or 3 times a season that our opponents have a poor snap or the punter mishandles a good snap.

We have used this philosophy since 1998 and it has consistently worked for us.